February 16, 2026 – AUSTIN, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott on Friday voiced support for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development launching a federal fair housing investigation into the East Plano Islamic Center, known as EPIC, over potential violations of the Fair Housing Act.
Abbott backed HUD Secretary Scott Turner’s decision to direct the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity to examine a proposed development formerly known as “EPIC City,” now rebranded with a kinder and less threating name, “The Meadow.”
‘The Meadow,’ was marketed as an exclusively ‘Muslim community’ intended to serve as ‘the epicenter of Islam in America,’” Abbott said in a statement. He noted that in 2025 he directed the Texas Workforce Commission to investigate EPIC and affiliated entities for possible violations of the Texas Fair Housing Act. After a state investigation, commission staff filed a complaint that HUD has now accepted for federal review…